The Rattled Generation: A unified theory of this American moment

After years of talking to hundreds of CEOs, elected officials, social scientists and ordinary Americans, this is our best take on how things stand in our country right now and a guide to how we got here. On Tuesday, Jim will outline why he believes CEOs and business leaders are uniquely suited to step up and help fill the trust void in this moment. Watch our "Rattled" video . We're living through the most disorienting societal moment since World War II. Almost nobody in a position of power is explaining why, or what to do about it. This is so much bigger than politics. It touches our jobs, our companies, our communities and our realities. Why it matters: By most objective measures, it's an extraordinary time to be alive. Americans are wealthier, safer and longer-lived than at any earlier point in history. U.S. total wealth has soared . Violent crime sank to a 20-year low and is still falling . Life expectancy just hit 79 years — the highest in American history. The country produces more energy than ever after four straight record years. And yet: University of Michigan consumer sentiment just hit its lowest reading in a half-century. Gallup finds most people think things will only get worse . Trust in every major institution — government, media, organized religion, higher education, science — is at or near record lows, both Gallup and the Edelman Trust Barometer find. The gap between reality and feeling is the story of our era. A three-part shock helps tell it: Social media's rise. The chaos of COVID. The rise of AI, political extremism and information bubbles in the aftermath of both. This produced a perpetually Rattled Generation, one too unsteady and uncertain to believe things are truly good or getting better. That's a new phenomenon for a typically optimistic, can-do society. It's hard to see this changing anytime soon for one big reason: For the first time, no one — even us, sometimes — knows what to belie...

Original source: Axios